2016 Digital Video Viewing Hours Analysis - Research and Markets

This research report, Digital Video Viewing Hours 2016: Audiences Choose and Disrupters Rule, indicates one of the most valuable outcomes for any producer/programmer today, brand loyalty, is rotating in and around the orbits of Internet giants, from Netflix, Facebook, Instagram and Amazon, to Google/YouTube.

Digital video clocked in at 85.6 billion total viewing hours in 2016, yielding a14.6% time spent equivalency to its 24/7 linear counterpart.

On a going forward basis, the researcher will shift its digital video viewing analytics focus to increments/aggregates of time.

Digital video viewing access hours enabled by OTT platforms are, however, also accounted for inside this research study and form an integral component to the multiple data-driven market share analytics models contained.

A key to this stage of the medium's leap to recognition is a hefty slice of viewing audiences embrace the Internet for video entertainment--despite shortcomings (i.e.; library depth/choice, fragmented device compatibility, ad insertion bottlenecks, balky navigation and connectivity issues)because it delivers better value per dollar.

While relevant advertiser concerns about what constitutes a view, or length of view (occurring anywhere from 3 seconds to hours), measurement in and buying against hours offers technology vendors (from media players to integrated viewing platforms) along with producers, publishers and advertising brands an opportunity to recast their solutions and unify their monetization formulae.

When factoring in user activity and volume associated with social video delivery, monetization models must account for short-form nature of social platform UGC content that nevertheless drives big viewing share in the aggregate.

Ongoing advertiser concerns over objectionable content also remain across platforms, though the current share strength seen on social/audience services by has compelled publishers to migrate their digital presence inside those environments.

Moreover, there are examples of publishers reducing destination-based brand building, and moving toward a syndication model where audience platforms form a primary point of ad-supported access for content outside of authenticated sign-in.

Ad-supported hours equal 54% of the total, while subscription makes up a 46% share. That ratio could change over the next couple of years, perhaps significantly, if YouTube's planned YouTube TV subscription video service (i.e.; live streaming TV) gets off the ground and offers an appealing option.

YouTube is the largest ad-supported programmer in digital video, with a weighty 45.6% of total ad-supported viewing hours.

This research package includes a full year 2016 database listing of sites, destinations, services, devices, total video views, minutes/hours of viewing, accesses by device type (desktop, mobile/tablet/OTT box).

Also included in the annual percentage share of viewing hours by each service, site, destination and channel; those that are ad-supported, subscription based, Internet only and cross-platform in nature.